Automatic address allocation for serially connected devices

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method and system for automatic address allocation in serially connected controlled devices (e.g. luminaires) to achieve a changed control configuration. A signal adapter is modified to send an address sorting command, so that each of the controlled devices will automatically allocate an address to itself in sequence one by one upon receiving the address sorting command from the signal adapter.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A microcontroller unit for address allocation for a receiver device of a communication system comprising a plurality of receiver devices which are connected serially with each other, the microcontroller unit configured to:
 detect a received digital data stream as an address sorting command with a predetermined data pattern at the receiver device; 
 responsive to the detection of the predetermined data pattern, if the predetermined data pattern has been detected in a first data slot of the digital data stream, set an address of the receiver device to a predetermined first data value; and 
 responsive to the detection of the predetermined data pattern, if the predetermined data pattern has not been detected in the first data slot of the digital data stream, set the address of the receiver device to a third data value derived from a second data value in a data slot preceding a first occurrence of the predetermined data pattern; 
 wherein the microcontroller unit is adapted to overwrite the data slot of the first occurring predetermined data pattern with the derived third data value and to forward the digital data stream with the overwritten data slot to a neighboring one of the receiver devices. 
 
     
     
       2. The microcontroller unit of  claim 1 , wherein the address setting unit is adapted to derive the third data value by incrementing the second data value by one. 
     
     
       3. The microcontroller unit of  claim 1 , wherein the address setting unit is adapted to set a plurality of addresses for different channels of the receiver device. 
     
     
       4. A luminaire device comprising the microcontroller unit of  claim 1 . 
     
     
       5. A remote device management (RDM) controller for address allocation for a communication system, the RDM controller configured to generate an address sorting command and to forward the address sorting command to a signal adapter unit, wherein the signal adapter unit is configured to transmit the address sorting command to a receiver device, the receiver device configured to:
 detect a received digital data stream as an address sorting command with a predetermined data pattern at the receiver device; 
 responsive to the detection of the predetermined data pattern, if the predetermined data pattern has been detected in a first data slot of the digital data stream, set an address of the receiver device to a predetermined first data value; and 
 responsive to the detection of the predetermined data pattern, if the predetermined data pattern has not been detected in the first data slot of the digital data stream, set the address of the receiver device to a third data value derived from a second data value; 
 wherein the receiver device is adapted to overwrite the data slot of the first occurring predetermined data pattern with the derived third data value and to forward the digital data stream with the overwritten data slot to a neighboring one of the receiver devices. 
 
     
     
       6. A system for address allocation, the system comprising the RDM controller of  claim 5  and a plurality of receiver devices. 
     
     
       7. The system of  claim 6 , wherein the plurality of receiver devices are luminaire devices of a lighting system.